Capitol Report Full Broadcast (June 19)

Good evening. Tonight on Capitol Report, President Trump demanding restraint from Israel amid new tension with Hezbollah, why Vance's trip to Switzerland is called off as the 60-day window for a final deal begins. Inside Iran's playbook, how provoking Israel buys them leverage, why Hezbollah is their final lifeline, and the evidence that their nuclear program is truly out of the picture. Arkansas students are beating the odds. Reading scores up, math scores up, major classroom changes. Is this the model America's been waiting for? This is Capitol Report, live from our global headquarters in our nation's capital. Here's Steve Lance. I'm Jack Bradley, in for Steve Lance tonight. As the U.S. brokers a new ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, President Trump in a new interview is urging restraint from Prime Minister Netanyahu. We now go live to NTD's White House correspondent, Mari Otsu, in Geneva. Mari, good evening. What are we expecting from President Trump this weekend? Hey, Jack. Good evening to you. Well, President Trump already touched down at Camp David in Maryland, and it's actually the first time he's been back at Camp David since about a year ago when he actually ordered Operation Midnight Hammer there, that operation taking out the majority of Iran's main nuclear sites there. And this time, it comes as that 60-day window for the U.S. and Iran to reach a final deal began after President Trump, just a couple nights ago in Versailles here, signed that memorandum of understanding. Now, over the past day, there have been new flare-ups between Israel and Hezbollah, with the president today brokering a new ceasefire between the two parties, the IDF saying that four of its soldiers were killed in strikes from Hezbollah, and then it then returned fire, striking multiple targets inside of Lebanon. Now, President Trump is urging Israel to use restraint. Take a look. If it weren't for Donald Trump, Israel would have been eviscerated. The president saying his relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu is good, but... But we have to keep him a little bit sane. Are you going to be able to control Israel from attacking Lebanon? Yeah, I will be. They have a lot of respect for me, and they do as I say. The demand for restraint coming, as President Trump says, without Operation Midnight Hammer, Israel would not exist today. And the vice president with this message for those in Netanyahu's cabinet criticizing the Iran deal. Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time. If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world. Meanwhile, President Trump refuting claims that he signed the deal out of a position of weakness, saying, we didn't meet out of desperation. Iran did. They are finished. We'll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not 10 cents. Listen to people that say, oh, he could have been tougher. The entire military is good. He's also highlighting Iran's weakened state post-Operation Epic Fury and contrasting his deal with the Obama-era JCPOA, saying the war has diminished Iran. It doesn't any longer have an air force, a navy, anti-aircraft equipment, radar, or practically anything else. And yet the Democrats say that Iran is better off now than it was four months ago. And to those urging him to be tougher, the president says that road would only lead to economic collapse. The only way I can get tougher is if I go in there for another two or three weeks and continue to bomb the hell out of them, right? But what does that get us? The strait of Hormuz will not be open. We wouldn't have oil for months, as long as you're dropping bombs. So this is the kind of thing that could cause a worldwide depression. Now Vice President J.D. Vance was supposed to be with us in Switzerland today for further talks with the Iranians, but that trip was delayed. A White House spokesperson telling us the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. We look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible. The White House, meanwhile, urging Americans to have some faith and trust during this 60-day period. I think dealing with a fractured Iranian system where communication isn't great is just sometimes something that we don't fully appreciate or we don't fully understand. It's have a little faith in the president's ability, given that he's got us this far, to take us the final step. And Jack, President Trump today also unveiling the new Air Force One. It's a $400 million luxury jet gifted to the U.S. by Qatar. And it's also been painted red, white, and blue and adorned with the United States of America on it. This is coming just after the White House staff bid farewell to the last Air Force One that was used for the past 35 years. Its final flight actually took President Trump back to the White House from Versailles, where he had signed that MOU after attending the G7 in Evian. It had flown over 6 million miles. It had been to over 96 countries on over 223 international trips. And they said it was on its last legs there. President Trump touting this one as much larger and faster and teasing that it'll participate in a July 4th flyover to celebrate America's 250th birthday. Back to you. All right. Thank you, Mari, for those updates. With 60 days left to negotiate a final deal with Iran, strikes between Israel and Hezbollah threaten the trajectory of negotiations. Joining now to discuss is Joel Rayburn, senior fellow at the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute. Joel Rayburn, thanks so much for joining us here today. Yeah, my pleasure. Now, as of now, it looks like Vice President J.D. Vance will not be heading to Europe this weekend as talks continue for talks with Iran. Here's a clip of him just yesterday discussing this. People say the Iranians will never change their behavior. Well, maybe that's true. And if so, they don't get any of the benefits of the bargain. But isn't it worth trying? Isn't it worth seeing whether this incredibly weakened position that the president of the United States has put the Iranians under, whether that motivates them to change their behavior? Now, we have just 60 days under the memorandum of understanding. How should we understand this delay here? Well, I think one aspect of the Iranian regime's behavior that doesn't change is they're negotiating tactics over time. We've seen them for decades that when the implementation of a deal is close, their tendency is to shift the goalposts, to try to re-litigate issues, to try to reopen issues or to attach new issues. When they think the other party is committed to the deal, that's when they try to stuff in more concessions for themselves and to get more and to stretch their leverage as far as it goes. The ink's never dry. They'll make changes up to and past the 11th hour, and I think that's what they're doing here. They're trying to really solidify, trying to get the U.S. to agree that the MOU covers Lebanon and covers it to a point where really there's restraint on the U.S. about how the Israelis can respond to Hezbollah provocations. Right. Israel has worked closely with the U.S. throughout this operation, but it appears they've gone a bit rogue recently. Here's President Trump earlier this week. He did send a copy to Israel, by the way. They've been a good partner. Again, I think they could do better with respect to Hezbollah. I'm not saying they shouldn't protect themselves. I'm saying when two drones are shot into the desert and drop harmlessly, you don't have to knock down buildings in Beirut. Now, Joel, does it appear that this setback is due to the continued conflict between Israel and Hezbollah? And what can the U.S. do about that? Well, I think I would put it, I'm not surprised that there's been a continued exchange of strikes back and forth between Hezbollah and Israel. It's what, frankly, I expected, because I think the Iranian regime, especially the Revolutionary Guard's priority, I believe at this point is to try to keep Hezbollah alive under what would otherwise be existentially threatening pressure from the Israelis. I mean, the Israelis have such a military advantage over Hezbollah that they haven't enjoyed. I think you'd have to go back before the year 2000 to see this kind of military mismatch between the two. So it's very important for the Iranian regime to try to create a wedge between the United States and Israel, if they can, using this issue. And that's what they're doing. I think that what we should have anticipated was that the Iranians would encourage Hezbollah to provoke the Israelis into responses that then the Iranians could point to and say, aha, that's a violation of the ceasefire, therefore we're suspending implementation of the reopening of the strait under the MOU, et cetera, et cetera. I think the Iranians are trying to do that. I don't think the U.S. is unaware of that. But really, I think the framing, the framing that you put is, you know, what can the U.S. do? I think you were asking to restrain the Israelis. Really, it's more, if this thing is going to succeed, it's got to be a matter of what pressure can the U.S. apply on the Iranians to rein in Hezbollah and to stop the provocations on the northern Israeli border. But why does Iran rely so much on the existence of Hezbollah at this point? Well, look, that's a complicated question. But the Revolutionary Guards in particular, who are calling the shots in Tehran now, Hezbollah is essentially, it is the model of the standard bearers of the Islamic Revolution. They're the only ones left because the Iranian people don't believe in the Islamic Revolution anymore. They abandoned that cause a long time ago. So when the Revolutionary Guards look around for who are the reliable loyalists of the revolution, it's only Lebanese Hezbollah. Their other proxies no longer fit the bill. Hamas and Islamic Jihad are militarily defunct, essentially. The Houthis are unreliable. They wouldn't even join the war that's ongoing. The Iraqi Shia militias are unreliable. They're kleptocrats who are not that interested in entangling with Israel. So it's just Lebanese Hezbollah. Also, because Assad's Syria collapsed and the Iranians no longer have Syria as strategic depth and as an ally, Hezbollah is their last remaining foothold in the Levant and that gives them a reach into the Mediterranean region. If they lose that, then the Iranian strategic frontier retracts all the way to the line running from Baghdad to the Gulf to the Strait of Hormuz. It's quite a shrunken sphere of influence at that point. So this is worth them fighting for, I think, in their view. The bottom line here has always been Iran's nuclear program. Here's another clip of Vice President Vance earlier this week. You're talking about billions and billions of nuclear infrastructure that the United States destroyed. In order for them to rebuild that program, they would have to get a lot of money. And we have them in an economic chokehold right now that we're not going to release until they fundamentally change their behavior. Now, Joel, when it comes to Iran's nuclear development, how much have we set them back? And do we have leverage to continue to ensure that they don't resume this program? I think the answer is we've set them back, I mean, almost to zero in terms of the infrastructure of their nuclear program. Of course, you can never wipe out the human capital, the know-how, and they've gained a lot in that respect. But I mean, they would be starting over from near zero. Think about how much they spent on acquiring the centrifuges, building these enormous facilities, and producing the nuclear material. And that's all gone. It's inaccessible to them. I think as a result, I mean, I personally don't think that their objective, their top priority, the Iranian regime, is preserving the nuclear program, the remnants of the nuclear program. I think because the Revolutionary Guards are in charge, their priority now in this negotiation is preserving Hezbollah. And the nuclear program is a card, it's something, an asset that they would cash in to try to get, I think, U.S. acquiescence to the continued survival of Hezbollah. All right, well, we'll stay tuned. Joel Rayburn, thanks so much for your insights here today. Yeah, my pleasure. Cuba agrees to implement the largest policy reform since 1959, the Communist Party voting to approve major changes and move closer toward capitalism, but apparently without wanting to let go of socialism. NTD's Latin American correspondent, Arjen Pasdar, has the story. Cuba's National Assembly on Thursday unanimously approving almost 200 economic reforms that would increase private enterprise. Now, the package would address various inefficiencies caused by multiple factors. The planned changes come as basic services in Cuba keep failing. Just on Monday, Cuba's grid operator said that the national electric grid completely collapsed, leaving around 10 million people without power. Cuba's demise started after the end of the Soviet Union, which ended subsidies upon which the socialist model had long depended. Subsidized public services in education, healthcare, and transportation thus deteriorated significantly. Despite that, Cuba's communist policies didn't allow for the economy to grow. This graph by GeoRank, which is based on data by the World Bank, shows the difference in GDP growth between the U.S. and Cuba from 1970 until today. The country now plans to make radical changes, such as allowing the creation of private banks, which has only been state-controlled until now, allowing private real estate development, state-owned businesses could be restructured into private commercial ventures, issuing shares and equity stakes, private companies would be permitted to hire more than 100 employees for the first time, and entrepreneurs could own multiple companies. But Cuba's president, making clear he's not seeking to let go of socialism. What we are defending here, above all, is the question of how to continue the process of building socialism. Vice President J.D. Vance on Thursday, explaining Cuba's plight and the reason for U.S. interest in Cuba. It is a system that hasn't worked. They can't make any money. Their economy is, frankly, probably in worse shape than the Iranian economy. It's 90 miles from our shore. So every time that there's a crisis, you end up having desperate refugees or desperate people who can't feed their families trying to flood into our country. Now, the vice president added that the administration is in talks with the Cuban government and that if Cuba makes positive changes, then the relation between the U.S. and Cuba will also improve. Arian Pastor, NTD News. A new documentary about Shen Yun Performing Arts is drawing audiences around the world. Now, the film highlights years of pressure and interference from the Chinese Communist Party against this U.S.-based dance group. The latest screening in Los Angeles comes as federal prosecutors continue uncovering CCP influence operations in Southern California. A new documentary on Shen Yun Performing Arts screening in Los Angeles. The latest stop on its global tour. Unbroken, the untold story of Shen Yun highlights the New York-based company's endurance to revive traditional Chinese culture as the Chinese Communist Party works to censor them. Shen Yun is among the leaders in classical Chinese dance. But to do that at the same time while the Chinese regime is trying to destroy you and malign you and silence you is all the more difficult. Near the screening, federal cases reveal just how deep that pressure runs. Arcadia lies just outside Los Angeles in L.A. County. The former mayor of Arcadia pleaded guilty last month to acting as an illegal agent of the CCP. Eileen Wong admitted to spreading pro-CCP propaganda through her news website, posting articles provided by Chinese officials. She did so with her then-fiancé and campaign treasurer Mike Sun. Sun was sentenced to four years in prison in February for acting as an illegal agent of the CCP. Connected to both is John Chen, who, according to court documents, served as Sun's right-hand man and was in direct contact with Wong when she was in office. In 2023, Chen tried to bribe an IRS agent to revoke Shen Yun's tax-exempt status. For that, he received a 20-month prison sentence. The Chinese Communist Party has an influence on what we see and hear here in America, and that's kind of scary. People who do speak for us to step out are facing threats to their families, their friends, and their homes. The documentary Unbroken highlights two decades of such interference from the CCP, from slashed tour bus tires, defamation, to hundreds of hoax bomb and death threats. The film is now on streaming services like Apple TV, Amazon, and, of course, NTD+, bringing to life the courage and perseverance Shen Yun upholds amid the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to censor them. A historic shift in Cuba, the communist island opening up to free market reforms amid severe U.S. economic sanctions and secret diplomatic talks. Is Havana opening a new chapter? And how will Washington respond? Find out more tonight on China In Focus with Tiffany Meyer at 9.30 p.m. Eastern. And you're looking at a live shot of the U.S. Capitol. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is touting improved learning proficiency across grade levels in states' public schools. What other states can learn from it after the break? Puritan Green Vegetable Omega-3. Eat two a day and you'll feel brand new. This is such a gentle painting, so beautifully portrayed. A group of people reading together in this simple, everyday-looking living room. A young girl reading along with an adult, a grandparent sitting in the lotus position, a businessman in his typical suit. You see all those people, they look like they have quietly settled down there. And you as a viewer, it looks like you've just stepped in the door. You can't see what it is they're reading, so you're a little bit curious and you're kind of invited to walk in. This harmonious feeling is not by accident. It is the very subject of the work. The book they are reading is the main text of Falun Gong, which is an ancient Chinese spiritual discipline in the Buddhist tradition. At the core of Falun Gong are the values of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Unfortunately, the practice is banned in China, where the artist resides. Thousands have been killed for their faith. Golden energy blooms into the room as a result of their steadfast faith. The painting on the back wall reminds us of this work's title, Plum Blossoms in a Muddy World. It's also a metaphor for the practitioners that are sitting in the room as plum blossoms. They signify perseverance and hope that all brutal winters end and life is renewed once again. It's a magical thing. The impact of a meal goes well beyond feeding our bodies. Because when people are fed, futures are nourished. Everyone deserves to live a full life. And with your help, together we can end hunger. Join the movement at feedingamerica.org slash act now. Welcome back. I'm Jack Bradley. Students in America have long suffered declines in learning proficiency, but Arkansas is making great strides in recent years. Joining me now to discuss the issue of quality of education in America and the blueprint for recovery are our panelists, Denny Salas, Democratic strategist, and Denise Gitsum, the author of Politics for People Who Hate Politics. Thank you both for being here today. Now, students in Arkansas are showing remarkable improvements in learning proficiency across multiple subjects and grade levels over the past two years. Here's Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders with the details. The number of third graders reading at grade level has gone from 35% to 43%, a more than 18% increase. For students in kindergarten through second grade who have all started school since Learns was signed, and this is a big deal, proficiency tops 50% in all grades and subjects but one. English language arts proficiency among kindergartners has grown by 31% in just the last year. Denny, the governor is crediting success due to the Learns Act, which raised teachers' salaries, implemented new exams, and banned critical race theory and other progressive topics from classrooms. What do you think other states are taking away from all this? I'll be completely honest. It's an actual mirage. What Arkansas did is the exact same thing that the states of Illinois and New York did. What they did is they actually lowered the benchmark of what is considered to be proficient in a subject like mathematics and ELA. In New York, for example, if you scored a 70% on ELA or mathematics, that would mean that you'd be proficient. They lowered that here in this state to 52%. Arkansas did the exact same thing. So what you're seeing is an actual mirage. If Arkansas actually cared about ensuring that they increase the standard and actually make sure that it was more rigorous, then they would have followed other Republican states and Democratic states like Florida, Utah, Wyoming, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, who actually have very rigorous and great educational programs. So no, I actually think what Arkansas did is a mirage much like New York did. So I think it's actually bipartisan across the country. What you're seeing is a number of states that are actually diminishing what it means to be proficient in a subject, and they're creating a mirage. That's what's actually happening in Arkansas. Denise, I want to get your reaction to that and also on the LEARNS Act banning critical race theory and other progressive topics. Yeah, well, as a Californian and also the daughter of two public school teachers, one of whom is a tiger mother, I'm half Chinese, so I never really got away from learning whether I wanted to or not. It was happening at home, it was happening in Chinese school on Saturdays, and it was happening in actual school. And I just have to say it would be so unfortunate if they moved the goalposts just to boost their own success rates. But what I know is that when you have dedicated parents that are able to take the helm of what their students, what their kids are learning, and when they're involved, regardless of what happens in the school room, right, whatever happens at the national level or the state level, even at the local level in your very school, if you have parents that are engaged in care and they have the power to put their students, their kids in the schools that they operate best in, where they are able to rise to the challenge of becoming all that they are. I was able to go into a gifted and talented education classroom that my mom learned about, right, she's a Chinese immigrant, she didn't know about it. But because I was able to have that opportunity, I was able to learn in a California school, a public school that hasn't gotten really high scores nationwide. But I was really fortunate to have that extra help at home, which I think is something we should all be encouraging parents to get involved in. And Denny, there are a lot of states like California struggling with literacy rates, but they're very well funded in education. Is there a broader issue with quality of education here? Oh, 100%. But if you look at California, you can look at New York State, which I obviously already talked about. New York State spends more money per student than any other state in the country, and yet we're ranked in the middle towards the bottom on ELA Mathematics. I'm a father of two young kids. My wife is a former schoolteacher. I will tell you that we completely focus on education every single day that we spend with our kids because we recognize that, honestly, unfortunately, in our state, the education system is not that great. It's a public education system. So we have to work extra hard to make sure that kids are going to be there and excel in the classroom, much like my colleague that's on the panel today. She mentioned she had a tiger mom. This is when I was younger. I'm first generation in this country. My parents were from Dominican Republic. When I was growing up in Lawrence, Massachusetts, my parents lied about my address so then I can go to a school in a neighboring town. And you have parents that do that all the time. No, no, exactly. It's important, right? And they really focus on making sure that your child gets the best education possible. They will go the extra step. They will do everything possible. So, look, it is actually a nationwide problem. And I think a lot of it does stem from some of the teachers' unions. And I think a lot of it stems from also just complacency in general. And instead of doing the hard work to make sure that we're actually increasing academic scores, we get lazy about it. And we diminish the benchmarks, which has actually been happening. We've seen so many states literally do what Arkansas did, do what New York did, do what Illinois has done. It's just lowered the standards. That's not the way that this country should go. Denise, on a point that Denny said there regarding the teachers' unions, and probably not putting the students first there, we had a huge school problem when we locked down for COVID and schools closed down. Do you think that the blueprint for recovery is coming on soon? Do you think that there's a path forward here for these states to recover from that? And yeah, I just want to get your take on all of that. Yeah. Well, I'm so proud of my colleague, who I don't know, but now I feel like I know so well. You know, as a fellow child of immigrants and somebody who appreciates all the opportunities that you come to America to have the American dream, right? That's the dream is to come and experience that. And that's what our parents sacrificed so much and even lied about to get us that access to the American dream. You know, being able to say as a Democrat that the unions aren't working necessarily, that more money doesn't equal greater outcomes is honest. And I think that everything in policy starts with an honest conversation, where I think we all agree that the outcome has to be best for children. The children need to come before political agendas. And what I've seen in the state of California is that hasn't been the case to your point, right? It hasn't been the case that we've had teachers unions looking out for the well-being of students first and foremost. And there was a case study actually in Clovis school district in my state, where they had the highest performing schools and they were non-unionized school district. And they paid their teachers more, which I'm a huge proponent of, again, as the daughter of two public school teachers. And they saw just across the uniform, you know, that one standard that the state had, that Clovis kept rising and rising and rising. And for some reason, there's such an opposition, I guess, because it's become so political, and that's why people hate politics, which is why I wrote my book. There's been such a political sort of resistance to doing just what's in the best interest of children. But isn't that the whole point of our school system, to do what's in the best interest of children and put politics aside? Absolutely. And I want to get to another topic here. We have FIFA World Cup going on here in the U.S. Social media has been ablaze with foreign tourists visiting the U.S. for the World Cup, experiencing American culture for the first time. Denny, what do you think the World Cup is helping disprove any negative stereotypes about American culture, you think? Look, God bless America, right? At the end of the day, what you're seeing is folks coming into our country and just enjoying all the greatness that, yeah, we probably take for advantage of time. Because we look at it, and we just live with it on a day-to-day basis. We don't really appreciate it, right? I remember when my—I have two kids now. My daughter's turning four in July, and my son just turns two. But for my daughter, my oldest brother, her first birthday, we lived in the country of Malta for one month, and we were there. And I'll tell you, we literally had rolling blackouts there, right? And that's in the Malta, an island in the middle of the Mediterranean. And it's like the hottest time was there in July. And I remember we had rolling blackouts. That doesn't really happen at all here. And there's things like that that we take for advantage all the time, or take for granted all the time, because it's just something that we normalize. We normalize being the greatest country in the world. We normalize just being exceptional at just about everything. And that's something that you see these folks come over here and kind of enjoy. They're enjoying the clean streets. They're enjoying clean walkways. They're enjoying all the stuff that we've put in, all the investments of public works and Department of Transportation, all this other stuff, because it's just what we expect as Americans. And then when people come in and enjoy it and see it for their own eyes, they're like, oh, I get it. This is why America is America, you know? And that's why. So it's pretty great. It's pretty awesome. Denise, what do you see captivating tourists? Well, first of all, again, I just love—I'm a Republican, and I love it when I find people on the other side of the aisle who also understand and appreciate what our country stands for, well beyond the food, right? The food is just an outflow of our multicultural, sort of amazing melting pot of so many different cultures, including the ones that we come from. And I just think, gosh, there's such a diplomatic power in food. It's almost like I feel like the American food is the breakout star of the World Cup. And then, you know, whenever we have friends that come and visit from Taiwan or we have friends that come visit from other countries, they're so excited to see Walmart, and they've never seen anything like, you know, the Costco sizes that we have. And it's incredible. And, you know, the one question I always ask when I go to Italy that cracks my husband up is, where do you get your groceries from? Like, you've got these cute little towns that are so charming, but they're so impractical to live in. And I think that's—when I see America through the eyes of somebody else who's just visiting, I have a greater appreciation for all that we take for granted. So, yes, I'm grateful that they're here. I'm so glad that they're documenting everything on social media. And I think my favorite was the guy who called Taco Bell the Holy Land. I mean, that is some serious delusion, but there you go. Like, whatever works. I'll tell you, my other favorite one was another Italian gentleman visiting who could not get enough of the free refills with the soda. And all of a sudden, he was, like, completely shocked by it. It was just like, yeah, that's completely par for the course. All these lessons. So much gratitude coming from you guys and from the people in Europe. Thank you so much, Denny Salas and Denise Gidsham. Thanks so much for your time and insights. Thanks, guys. Have a great weekend. And you're looking at a live shot here of the U.S. Capitol. Coming up, a new film about the nation's first president. Before his big successes in the Revolutionary War, we'll speak with a screenwriter for Young Washington just after the break. I was a quarterback at Ardoway High School. College first round draft pick. On and off the field, we were taught to not show any signs of weakness. During the football season, I would stop eating. But I didn't know I was depressed. I thought that something was wrong with me. For 20 plus years, it was physical, physical, physical. We didn't have any education behind what mental health was. I started to learn it starts here first. If this is together, I'll be better as a father, as a man and as a husband. Put the importance on your mental health. I'm not scared to talk about it anymore. The first tool is therapy. The second one is positive self-talk. Then journaling, putting your thoughts on paper. We have to redefine what being a strong man is. And heal, love, you're mine. We said we'd never give in to a meltdown. Babysit with a scream. We said we'd never let the toys take over. Never leave the house looking out of our sight. Cars get hot fast and kids can be at risk. Before you leave the car, always stop, look, lock. Welcome back. I'm Jack Bradley. Without him, we wouldn't have the United States. But who was George Washington beyond his fame as our first president and Revolutionary War general? A new film, Young Washington, will make you see him in a new light. Earlier, I spoke with a screenwriter for the film, Diedrich Hoogstraten. Diedrich Hoogstraten, thank you so much for joining us here today. Thanks for having me. It's a joy to be here. Now, this film, Young Washington, just couldn't have been released at a better time as we're approaching America's 250th anniversary. This new, incredibly cinematic, action-packed movie, Young Washington, shows George Washington in his early years before he became known as the father of America. Why did you choose to write a movie about Washington's earlier years, mostly in his 20s, when he was a young officer? You know, our director, visionary director, John Irwin, your viewers might know him from Jesus' Revolution, American Underdog, and of course, House of David, the show about King David on Amazon. John wanted to really tell this coming-of-age story, this origin story of the original American, if you will. The idea being that if we get to know an enigmatic figure, you know, George Washington, to many of us, is a figure on the dollar bill, is a statue, is a portrait, is a story in your history class, perhaps. What if we make him human, fully human? What if we start to see him as a boy and a young man going through a lot of trauma, a lot of failure, so that we can ultimately understand him better, respect him even more, and see how he develops the characteristics, the virtues, really, that we all know and love him for. So that was the purpose. Let's create a picture, a fuller picture of George, if you will, so that we can truly understand him and, as a result, the revolution and the whole American experiment even better. Right. In the movie, it's clearly portrayed that Washington learning from his failures, and he goes from sort of a self-centered person, chasing status, not that self-centered by today's standards, but he goes to completely serving others in his young age. So that's just one of the many values shown in this film. What do you hope the audience takes away after watching this? What a great observation there. And I think for young people, my own children, other folks, including myself back when I was in my 20s, what a great lesson to realize that all of us, you know, are pretty self-centered, a little ego-driven as children, as young people, and that's totally natural. But what if we then take all the setbacks, the difficulties, the challenges that we face, if we look at ourselves not as victims of these circumstances and these events, but what if we see them as lessons? You know, in the film, we have George's mother, Mary, say failure is a tutor sent by God. This idea that if you learn from your failures, you know, you've gained wisdom and you can move forward and be a better person. If you don't learn the lesson, she says you fail twice. You know, you failed the first time and then you fail to learn a lesson. What if all of us did that more, especially in this day and age, as we know, it's very easy to feel fragile, perhaps, to feel victimized. Absolutely. But what did you learn about the real historical figure of Washington while you were researching for this film? How did you get to know the essence of the character you're writing for? That's such a tough one, because there is a lot we don't know about his early years. There's a lot we do know, obviously, when he becomes, you know, the general and ultimately the beloved first president who gives up power as the first to do so. What we learned was that his relationships were so crucial with his mother, with the governor of Virginia at the time, Robert Dinwiddie, a British, obviously sent by the British crown, with his brother who taught him a tremendous amount, because people may not realize, unlike the other founding fathers, George Washington was not able to attend any type of school. After his father died, he just was needed on the farm and he was a self-educated young man. He became very smart and very wise. But through these relationships and ultimately with some of the British officers around him, with his best friend, Christopher Gist, through these relationships, he develops his character that we talked about. He develops this resilience, this sort of integrity of taking, really carrying the consequences for his actions and his decisions. And ultimately this idea of serving others. I was not really aware of it. And, you know, the historians agree on the facts of his life, of his early life. But like I said, there's a lot we don't know. And so my co-writers and I, we had to take some creative liberties. We did to try to weave a dramatic story, always respecting the era, the customs, the way they would talk, never projecting our modern sort of vision or ideas onto that era. We wanted to be deeply respectful for what we know the historical truth to be. This film, it's very action-packed. It's scenes that, you know, it makes you forget you're watching a piece of history. It puts the audience right on the battlefield. And when we watch historical films, many times it feels like, you know, we're doing homework. But how did you write it to make it feel so emotionally charged? That's a great compliment. Thank you, Jack. The idea was always, John Irwin asked, how can we make history exciting again and interesting? He did this, I believe, with the biblical times, with House of David. And we certainly tried to do it here. We wanted big explosions and guns. We wanted a love affair in there, a girl. That's based in historical fact. I'm not going to give it away, but there is a bit of Jane Austen there. There is a kiss. We wanted to make it as compelling as we could. We want people to go to the theater, get their popcorn, and be entertained. John Irwin will always say, we're in the business of mass entertainment. We're not here to be didactic. We would like to educate folks, but that's not the main purpose. We want to entertain. We want to do it right. We want people to get excited about this. And what if it could lead, ultimately, to a little bit of patriotism, even in an audience that might not, at this time, feel comfortable feeling that or expressing it? And that's fine if they don't want to express it. But if they can go to this movie and appreciate this man in his early days, in this part of the country, before it was a country, it was the colonies. What if all of us can share that experience, lean into it? Maybe there's a little bit of a unifying factor there. That was not initially really how we wrote it, but I think it came into the writing process as we realized what we were trying to create and at which time we were creating it. On a personal note, Diederik, you were born outside the U.S. in the Netherlands and are now a U.S. citizen. Where did you get the enthusiasm to write about Washington's life and the founding principles of America? Right. I often think that an outsider to a country can sometimes be most appreciative of it. When you go back to Alexis de Tocqueville, if folks don't know, in the 1830s, a French philosopher who traveled to the new world, the new country, and was deeply appreciative. His book, you can read it today, it's a love letter to America. I similarly, a lot of years later, came to this country and was just blown away by the space, by the freedom, the sense of liberty in this place to this day. I often say to my American friends, my American-born friends, you may not realize what you have and you would realize it if you've lived in other places. The hospitality, the people, the culture, something that's going on with the World Cup right now, people leaning from Europe, learning about America, and just realizing this place is fantastic. It's not what the media told us it was, especially in this day and age. And so I think that I have a deep appreciation for what America is today. And it made me very curious to learn, like, how did it become this way? Who are the people who forged this country out of an idea? First time in history. And by the way, of course, I'm very well aware the longest lasting experiment, if you will, in self-government, in Republican self-government. It just hasn't been done before. Hopefully it will be done again. But we are very, very lucky and blessed, I believe, to be a part of it. So yeah, becoming a citizen in 2019 after many years on different visa and a green card, it was one of the greatest days of my life. My children now are fully Texan. They wear Cabo boots to church, I always say. So it doesn't get more Texan than that. I am just very grateful to be a part of the American story now. Diedrich Hoogstraten, thank you so much for your insights here. We're looking forward to seeing Young Washington coming out in theaters on July 3rd. Really appreciate your time and insights. Thanks for having me. It was great. And you're looking at a live shot of the U.S. Capitol. Next week, Congress returns to Washington with major debates ahead on Iran, federal surveillance powers, and President Trump's push for the Save America Act. Kids love it. Parents trust it. Obviously. Explore GJW Plus Kids series and Gone Young Campus courses led by expert educators. This is spectacular. Children will learn values like respect, responsibility, and knowledge in language, science, and more. Wow. All while having fun. Perfect. Subscribe today at GJW Plus Kids, where learning meets fun. Expertly fermented with a 50-enzyme complex to enhance flavor and remove bitterness. Small batch roasted to a decadent medium dark, resulting in a brew that is gentle on digestion, low acid, and up to 90% less caffeine than regular coffee. Try America's first enzyme-fermented coffee today. There's a whirlwind of emotion and activity going on in this painting. And there's chaos all around and threat from below. The wolves surrounding her and they're anything but unmoved. They're moving all the time and we sense that. But this little girl remains unmoved. She's in quite a perilous situation, but she's completely strong and serene and she's actually meditating. It was very, very well liked because no matter what culture or what sort of walk of life you're from, I think people, they see it and they immediately understand what that energy, what that message is. And they're drawn to it because everybody kind of needs a little bit of that in their own life of, you know, the steadfast calmness and something to hold on to. It's definitely an inner peace in the midst of something very chaotic. And for a lot of people right now, the whole world is very, very chaotic. So I guess that's another reason why so many people are very drawn to this. Eyes forward. Don't drive distracted. Welcome back. I'm Jack Bradley. Both chambers of Congress return to Washington next week with a packed agenda. Lawmakers are expected to debate the Trump administration's Iran agreement, the future of FISA surveillance authority, and President Trump's push to advance the Save America Act. NTD's Chris Bobb has a look at what's ahead. Lawmakers in the House are expected to debate the Trump administration's memorandum of understanding with Iran when they return to Washington next week. In the Senate, the discussion is already underway. Senator Lindsey Graham, posting on X Friday, quote, completely agree with President Trump's analysis that Iran's capability to generate another October 7th or continue to be the largest state sponsor of terrorism on the planet has been massively degraded. And adding, quote, Mr. President, continue to try to find a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions. The experience, the judgment, the competence, all the things that you want in that position. And so I'm hopeful the Democrats will cooperate and enable us to get him into this position and get him confirmed there quickly. Senate Majority Leader John Thune this week, expressing confidence in President Trump's nominee to serve as Director of National Intelligence, Jay Clayton. Clayton's confirmation vote was delayed, setting up a battle when lawmakers return to Washington next week. The fight comes amid the departure of former DNI Tulsi Gabbard, whose final day in office was Friday. Another major fight is shaping up over FISA surveillance authorities. Senate Democrats are blaming Republicans for delays in reviewing the surveillance law. It's on our Republican colleagues to work with us to find a capable director, not someone who's a menace, and second then to work with us on renewing FISA. Despite Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's call for action, only one Senate Democrat, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, voted for a short-term FISA extension. Trump told lawmakers this week that he doesn't want a FISA deal without the Save America Act. Senator Rick Scott posted on X Friday that Republicans have both the votes and the tools to move the Save America Act forward. Senator Mike Lee posting that a recent Senate vote on a voter ID amendment received 50 votes, which would carry the proposal if passed through reconciliation. In the House, Republican Congressman Tom Keene Jr. of New Jersey is expected to return June 30th after a three-month absence tied to an undisclosed medical condition. A spokesperson says Keene plans to speak publicly about his condition upon returning. Chris Bobb, NTD News. Father's Day is coming up this Sunday. NTD's Sam Wong was out on the National Mall in D.C. to speak with folks about what this day means to them. What does Father's Day mean to you? Um, I think it's just about celebrating, obviously, our fathers and those who have, like, provided for us and just benefited our lives and what they've brought into our lives as a whole. Um, I think it means having a dad and just appreciating it, appreciating him. Some people don't have dads out there, so I'm glad that I have one, and it's so great. It means spending time with my wife and my boys and my granddaughter and just living my best life for them. It means celebrating our leader, our protector, our provider. Um, enjoying these moments with him, um, is very rewarding. What do you appreciate most about your father? Uh, that he always got my back, always make sure I'm good, keep food on my stomach, you know, just a roof over my head. My father was an immigrant, so I learned how to adapt, how to work hard, how to respect, and just do everything the right way. What are some of the most important values you took from your father that you would like to pass down to future generations? Man, being committed. Um, you know, just being committed. I learned a lot of what to do and what not to do from, you know, my dad. But the biggest thing is being committed to your family, being faithful to God first, and being faithful and committed to your family. I think that's what matters. One thing about loyalty for itself, self-love for itself. I mean, just be a great human being, be a great father if you ever become one one day. Some kids don't have fathers. So be a big brother, be an uncle, be a father to other kids that don't have you. Just spread the love. How important do you think strong fathers are to this country? Man, they are very important. And unfortunately, we don't get a chance to see a lot of strong fathers, but they are. They are important and integral to the welfare, the health of the family. Our fathers are the glue. They are the head, you know. And we respect them. We honor him. And we follow his guidance. You know, a lot of times, you know, they're sometimes more of the disciplinarian. Sometimes they have more of a presence. They can, you know. And as moms are great for nurturing, and also moms are great at telling dad, OK, we got to woe off a little bit, you know. So it's a teamwork thing. But dad, it's very important just to have that guidance and leadership of good men. Single parenting is not easy for any mother. Having a father around helps to show what it is to be a man. Be accountable for every action, whether it's good or bad. And have that respect for other people. And I think not having a man in that life tends to send some young men and women a different direction. And that's all we have for you tonight on the Capitol Report. Stay connected to the stories that matter. Visit us at ntd.com live or download our NTD app. From the nation's capital, I'm Jack Bradley. Have a nice weekend. We'll see you right back here on Monday.